Cattle-guard.



A. JOCHUM. V

Pabautadab. 20,1917.-

ALVIs JOCHUM, or CRAB OROHARD, ILLINOIs, AssIGlxToR or oixTE-HALF 'ro 'FED wEsT,

OF CRAB ORCI-IARD, ILLINOIS.

CATTLE-GUARD.

Speefication of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 17, 1916. Serial No. 98,171.

T0 aZZ 'wwm z't may concern:

Be it known that I, ALvIs JOOHUM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Crab Orchard, in the county of .Williamson and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cattle- Guards, of which the following is a specification, reference'being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention is a cattle guard.

One object of this invention is to provide a hingedly mounted barrier that may be moved from an operative'to an inoperative position by the movement or passage of a train.

Another Object is to provide a hiugedly mounted barrier that is self-restoring after the passage of a train.

A further Object is to provide a cattle guard that will consist of few parts, simple and strong in construction, and one that will require few repairs incident to service.

Generally stated, the Inechanism includes a hingedly mounted barrier disposed transversely of the track including vertically positioned panels and braces therefor, the lower ends of the panels and braces being secured to a shaft Which is carried in ,suitable bearings, thus permitting the barrier to rotate around .the aXis of the shaftV as a center, the shaft being provided adjacent v its eXtremities with upstanding arms having curved ends. The invention includes a resilient member attached to each of the arms adjacent the free ends thereof, the curved ends of the arms facing the resilient members, While the other end of the resilient member may be secured to a tie or other suitable point, and a U-shaped member spaced from the shaft and secured transversely of the barrier and to the shaft between the track rails. The invention also comprises a plurality of treadles or wheeloperated actuating members hingedly connected to th transverse portion of the U-shaped member, the ends of the Vtransverse portion being adapted to form pintles for the hinges so produced, and the free ends of the treadles are spaced apart by a transverse brace, said ends being adapted to contact with and ride upon suitable wear plates positioned adjacent the track rails,

vthe upstanding arms being severally positioned outside of the track rails.

One practical embodiment of the invention will be described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in Which,

Figure 1 is a perspective view;

Fig. 2 is a detail transverse view.

The usual track rails are indicated at 5 and 6` which are secured to the Ordinary ties 7. Disposed'between the ties and beneath the -track rails are the bearings 8 and 9. These bearings may be of any usual type and are illustrated as being half bearings, the cap being formed by the bases of the track rails. A :shaft '10 Which may be of square section, as illustrated, may have two spaced portions ll and 12 cylindrical in shape to rotate in'the bearings 8 and 9.

At the outerlends of this shaft 10, where it eXtends beyondthe track rails 5 and 6, there `is provided. the upwardly eXtending arms 13 and 14:. 'These arms may be secured to the shaft in any usual Way and adjacent their upper ends, they are provicled withthe curved portions 15 and 16. Near the extremities of each' of the arms, there may be provided suitable .apertures 17 Vancl 18 Which are adapted to coperate with the contractile Vsprings 19 and 20. These springs have their other ends connected to one of the ties, as illustrated in F ig. l. V

Positioned between the track rails 5 and 6, there is a U-shaped member which has legs 21jand 22 and a transverse lportion 23. The ends of thelegs 21 and 22 may be secured to the shaft 10 in any suitable manner and the transverse portion may be secured, to the barrier A by any suitable means, as the loops 241 and 25. The transverse portion 23 has at its ends, adjacent thelegs 21 and 22, bearing portions 30 and 31 whichform pintles to coperate with the hinged wheel-operated actuating members.

The treadles or wheel-operated actuating members are composed of the elements 26, 27, 28 and 29 and one end of each of these elementsis so formed that When in coperation With the end of another element. and with the pintles or bearing portions 30 and 31, they form hinges. The elements 26, 27, 28 and 29 are preferably fiat and being positioned close to and adjacent the inside eclges of the track rails 5 and 6, so that the fianges of a wheel or wheels will contact with them, pressing them down and forwardly in' the direction in which the train is traveling.

The ends of the elements 26, 27 28 and 29 opposite to'the hinged ends are adapted to ride upon suitable wear plates 32, 33, 34 and 35.

provided Which may be secured to the elements 26 and 27 in any convenient manner, one of Which is indicated by the rivets 37. The elements 28 and 29 are 'also spaced apart by a suitable brace 38 which is secured to the elements by means of the rivets 39, as shown. The construction and assembly of the ends is alike at both ends. The wear plates 32, 33, 34 and 35 may be secured to the ties in any suitable or convenient manner, one of which is shown by means of the spikes 40. e

The barrier A which is shown disposed between the treadles may be formed of the Vertical panels 41 and suitable braces 42. Across the top of the barrier is a brace 43. These several panels and braces may be secured together and to the shaft 10 in any usual or customary manner, one method of fastening being indicated by the rivets 44'. The shaft 10 may be extended some distance from the track rails and include the whole Widthof the right-of-way and other barriers may be connected with the shaft to extend over this right-of-way. It is preferred to make them of a similar type to that shown by the barrier A. One Vertical panel eXterior of the track rails is shown as indicating that the barrier may be eX- tended.

In practical operation, when this guard has been suitably positioned at a convenient point on the right-of-way, the normal po- Sition of the gate will be Vertical and as the transverse portion of the U-shaped member is spaced above the shaft, the wheel-operated actuating members form a hinged connection with this transverse portion and will thus slant downward from the hinged connection to the wear plates. A train approaching this barrier, when in a Vertical position, the treadles being positioned adjacent the rails and at an angle as the wheel flanges roll toward the barrier, will contact more and more toward the flat portions of the treadles. As these treadles are sloping, the pressure applied to them will become greater and the weight of the train TO maintain the elements 26 andV 27 a certain distance apart, a brace 36 is' which causes the pressure upon the flanges Will tend to push slightly forward and at the same time, downward on these treadles. By means of the hinged connection on the transverse portion of the U-shaped bar and the shaft positioned beneath the base of the rail, the barrier will be depressed.

The loose ends of the treadles will ride on the wear plates in a direction similar to that in which the train is moving. After the train has passed or the last pair of wheels has ceased contacting with the treadles, the barrier by means of the resilient elements will be restored to the normal Vertical position. NV hen the barrier is depressed, one of the springs is put under tension and the other is slightly compressed. The relative tension maintained in the springs is such that they react against each other equally.

No particular kind of material has been specified for the several elements and members, nor has any particular shape been given as it is desired to Vmake these several elements and members of .such material and such shapes as will best adapt them to perform their several functions.

Minor changes in the form and details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the Spirit of my Vinvention, or the scope of the appended claim.

Having thus described this invention, what is claimed is A cattle guard comprising a hingedly mounted barrier, a shaft secured to the lower end of the barrier, arms formed at the ends of the shaft, resilient elements operatively connected to the arms serving to maintain the barrier in a normal Vertical position, a U-shaped member connected by the legs to the shaft,V the transverse portion being secured to the'barrier, the outer ends of this portion forming pintles, a plurality of hinged wheel operated actuating members coperating with the pintles, and a plurality of wear plates for the ends of said ,latter members.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afliX my Signature in the presence oftwo witnesses. ALVIS JOCI-IUM.

VVitnesses z C. LW. GILPIN, PHILIP J. SWAN.V

Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commssioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

